NEW HAMPSHIRE

STATE FACTS

C ANADA

the granite state

STATE BIRD
Purple Finch

A
STATE FLOWER

IN

POPULATION
1,235,786 (2000)

STATEHOOD
June 21, 1788
Rank: 9th

LARGEST CITIES
Manchester (107,006)
Nashua (86,605)
Concord (40,687)

LAND AREA
8,968 sq. mi.
(23,227 sq. km.)

IT

NT

MO

AT
L
OC ANTI
EA C
N

Concord

VER

CAPITAL

R iver

White Birch

C on ne ct ic ut

STATE TREE

TA

M A IN E

Purple Lilac

pproximately 5,000 American Indians, mostly of the

Algonquian family, inhabited the New Hampshire region
before Europeans settled there in the early 1600s. In 1603,
Englishman Martin Pring explored the area by leading a
trading ship up the Piscataqua River.
Englands Council for New England began granting land to
settlers in the 1620s. Among those given land was Captain
John Mason. Mason called the area New Hampshire
ve r
Ri
t
u
after his homeland of Hampshire, England. King
c t ic
nne
Mt. Washington
o
C
Charles II of England declared the land to be the
province of New Hampshire in 1680.
Hundreds of men from New Hampshire
joined the fight against the British in the
American Revolution, even though it was
the only colony of the original 13 in which
NEW
no fighting actually occurred.
HAMPSHIRE
Today, New Hampshire prides itself on its
Yankee traditions of self-reliance and
independence. Every four years since
Lake
1920, it has held the nations first
Winnipesaukee
presidential primary. Primaries are
pre-election votes held to narrow the
field of presidential hopefuls, and
New Hampshire holds its primary in
Februarynine months ahead of
CONCORD 
the nations election day. Between
1952 and 1992, no presidential
candidate has won the presidency
Manchester
without first winning the New
Hampshire primary.
Nashua
MASSACHUSETTS

GROWING WHATS NATURAL

New Hampshires agricultural resources include dairy
products, cattle, eggs, and greenhouse plants. Farming is
difficult because the states hills and mountains are rocky
and covered with only a thin layer of soil.The rock had
its own use, thoughgranite was once quarried in New
Hampshire, which gave the state its best-known
nickname, the Granite State. Meanwhile, New
Hampshires soil, filled with clay and loam, creates a
strong foundation for trees, which cover almost 85
percent of the state. Milling lumber has been an
important part of the states economy since 1631. Most
of the timber cut today is used in paper production.

12
(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.

INDEPENDENT SPIRIT
In politics and economics, the states
people and policies have always shown
a strong independent vision and trailblazing spirit. On January 5, 1776, the
state became the first of the 13 original
colonies to declare its independence.
Today, New Hampshire is known as
one of only two states to have no state
income tax and no sales taxpolicies
that residents believe are good for both
consumers and businesses.

DID YOU KNOW?

Each primary day, voters
in Dixville Notch
become the first U.S.
citizens to vote for
presidential hopefuls.The
polling site in the tiny
town, population 100,
opens at midnight.

AMERICAS STONEHENGE
Archeologists are unsure exactly who built Americas
Stonehenge, which is estimated to be more than 4,000 years
old. It is one of the oldest stone-constructed sites in North
America.Tourists also visit the site to walk its trail and hike
through the nearby woods. Like Englands Stonehenge, it can
still be used to determine solar and lunar events.

FIRST AMERICAN IN SPACE

ALAN SHEPARD

orn in East Derry, New

Hampshire, Alan Shepard
was selected as one of NASAs
first astronauts in April 1959. He
trained for more than a year
before learning that he would
make NASAs first space flight.
Freedom 7 was launched on May
5. Shepard flew on a 15-minute
sub-orbit above Earth before his
capsule splashed down in the
Atlantic Ocean. In 1971,
Shepard returned to space
aboard Apollo 14.

Shepards wartime courage and

piloting skills brought him to the
attention of NASA officials.

THE FOUR SEASONS

In fall, colorful foliage
lines the country roads of New
Hampshire. In winter, the state is covered with a blanket of
snow. Each year, the state receives an average of 50 inches (127 cm) of snow, with
amounts in the north and west often topping 100 inches (254 cm).The states climate
is cool with the southern half a few degrees warmer than the north.Temperatures in
July average 68F (20C), while January temperatures hover around 19F (-7C).

PAST GLORY IN TEXTILES

In the early 1800s, New Hampshires manufacturing business boomed. A cotton mill opened
in New Ipswich in 1804; six years later, eleven more mills followed. New Hampshires
strong streams turned waterwheels that powered equipment in many preindustrial mills.
New Hampshires mills were also credited with helping Union efforts during the Civil War.
Manchester mills turned cotton into cloth for thousands of uniforms.

HIGHEST NORTHEASTERN POINT

Mount Washington towers above
New Hampshire as the highest point
in northeastern United States. At
6,288 feet (1,917 m) in height its
also the windiest place in the
country.The strongest winds
ever recorded there blew in
April 1934, when wind speeds
hit 231 miles per hour
(372 kph). Mount
Washingtons summit is
usually cloud-capped and
often has traces of snow in
early summer.The mountain
is part of the Presidential
Range, a chain of mountains
named for U.S. presidents
including Monroe, Jefferson,
Madison, and Adams.The
peaks are part of the White
Mountain Range.

13
(c) 2011 Dorling Kindersley. All Rights Reserved.